India defeated the West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, September 27.
On the back of a gritty century from Justin Greaves and crucial half-centuries from John Campbell and Amir Jangoo, the West Indies reached 295/7. However, Kuldeep Yadav's four-for through the middle overs prevented them from getting to a commanding total.
Rohit Sharma hit the ground running with a 35-ball 32. After he was dismissed, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli stitched a 151-run stand off 132 balls. The Indian skipper scored 110 off 108 balls before getting dismissed. However, Kohli continued pulverising the West Indies bowling department and he notched up his 55th ODI century. India reached the target in 41.4 overs with eight wickets in the bank.
IND vs WI: Talking Points
Virat Kohli gets to 15,000 ODI runs en route phenomenal century
Virat Kohli scored one of his most fluent centuries. He smashed 10 fours and nine sixes during his unbeaten knock of 139 off 88 balls. Kohli needed 59 runs to reach the 15,000-run mark. He did so in style with back-to-back boundaries. This form from India's talismanic batter will give fans a lot of enthusiasm as the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup intensifies.
Kuldeep Yadav shines under pressure
Kuldeep Yadav reminder everyone why he is so highly-rated. He is a genuine match-winner and with his spell of 4/40 in 10 overs on Sunday, he turned the game on its head. Kuldeep's overs through the middle broke the back of West Indies' batting effort.
Justin Greaves fights with injury to score maiden ODI ton
While Shubman Gill also scored a fantastic century, Justin Greaves' knock deserves special mention as he battled through a leg injury for a major part of his knock and never allowed pain to get the better of him. His strokeplay through the off-side inside the powerplay was delightful to watch.
Also Read: IND vs WI 2026: India vs West Indies Highlights & Review – 1st ODI
IND vs WI: Who Said What?
Shai Hope, West Indies Captain
[On whether West Indies could have done anything differently with the bat] Yeah, for sure. We could definitely put more runs on the board. You know, when you come in on surfaces such as good surfaces here in India, you got to make sure you put a good score on the board. Maybe 60 to 80 runs short, to be fair. But yeah, then in the way you're bowling, when you're trying to defend a target, close to 290, I think you gotta make sure everything goes right for you. [On whether the middle overs were the issue given they were going at more than seven an over at one point] Yeah, that's it. When you got a platform like that, I thought the guys started really well. It's something that we were trying to improve on a lot for the last couple of series, the opening pair. And must commend the guys for the start they gave us. They laid a very good foundation, but then we got stuck there in the middle and then it made it a lot more difficult for us in the back end to get a competitive total. [On what West Indies can take from the match] Well again, we just got to grasp those key moments. Like I said, if we gotten a bit more runs, you never know, it could have changed the context to the game. And also we had a couple of chances when we fielded, so we never know what could happen there with that 290 score. You always got to believe that whatever runs you got on the board, you can defend it. But we always know that there's a lot more runs you can get in on these type of conditions. But yeah, you just got to take all the learnings from it and find ways to improve as a team. [On the successful opening partnership and whether Greaves is okay after being unable to finish the game] Hopefully. Yeah, we've got to see now what's going on, but it's unfortunate he couldn't finish the game for us today. [On the remaining two ODIs and his record of scoring runs in India] Yes, for sure, I need some.
Shubman Gill, India Captain
[On his 110 from 108 balls and whether he looks back at innings like this] Honestly, when I got out, I thought I should have finished the game. Would have been nice to be there in the end. But yes, very satisfying innings for me. [On the three boundaries he hit early against Alzarri Joseph and whether there was one that stood out to him] Probably the drive that was front foot. Yeah, off the front foot, that was my favourite. [On Kuldeep Yadav changing the game and the conversations he has with him as captain] Someone like him, especially in the middle overs, if he's bowling well, he's a wicket-taker for us and he's proved over again and again, and today as well. We were a bit on the back foot, with their opening partnership and how their top order was batting, but he got us back in the game, got us crucial wickets in the game, and at one point it looked like maybe they'll get 340-350, but from there to restrict them to 300 was a tremendous effort from us. [On Virat Kohli's batting, his freedom and the new level of six-hitting he is displaying] Yeah, I mean, he's batting superbly, and I think he's enjoying the game a lot more, playing with freedom and enjoying the game. And I think those are the effects of his batting. I mean, he always had the game, he always had the ability to clear the boundary at will, and I think he's doing that right now. [On whether, as captain, he simply leaves Virat Kohli to play his game] Yeah, I mean, someone like him who's won so many matches for the country, who's done it over and over again, you just let him be, and you just want him to play however he feels like on the day, because when he plays well, he can win matches for you. [On India's preference for having eight batting options and whether that could be the team's approach over the next 12 months] Yes, ideally yes. We would want an eighth batting option, someone who can contribute at least 25-30 runs. We have seen many times we had been in good positions at 250 for 5, and then we weren't able to get scores that we wanted. So number eight becomes a crucial position for us. But we are open to trying different combinations and seeing what works for us.
Kuldeep Yadav, Player of the Match
[On what he enjoyed most] I actually loved the batting from Shubman and Virat bhai, it was a special inning from them. It feels awkward to receive the Man of the Match award, seeing the way Virat bhai batted, it was an outstanding inning. [On what he personally enjoyed most about his bowling] I think personally I liked my rhythm, to be very honest. I was very calm in my rhythm and just trying to bowl whatever I felt like bowling, just varying the pace, variations were superb, just reading the batters, where they're going to hit me, and yeah, I found it very good in rhythm. [On what this performance means after periods of being in and out of the side] It always feels nice when you enjoy your bowling and that's where you achieve your best, and when you are enjoying your bowling, when you are a bit relaxed as well, then your performance comes at peak. So, sometimes it feels to get that confidence back, you have to have a bowling spell like this, definitely, you grow your confidence. I still believe there's a lot to improve as a spinner and I believe the rhythm, it's all about your flow, bowling flow, and when you are comfortable and when you are in good flow, then everything looks so good. I personally feel there's still a chance to improve, and I'm going to stick with the same rhythm, that's the most important thing. Any format, it's just you feel comfortable in your rhythm and in your flow. [On his love of football] Yeah, of course, I love football, been watching football from early age and then obviously watching the live games. [On whether his football team is doing well] Yeah, we're doing really well, and if you look at the standing-wise in terms of league position, we are number one, and then obviously the style of play which we talk about in Barcelona, we are really up to the mark. So obviously they are FC Barcelona fans, so we are very good in that, and the most important thing is to enjoy the football, and I think most of the guys in the Barcelona squad, they are doing that.
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